PSC bares talent ID program

Sports talent is identified through scientific, purposeful effort, not through a hit-or-miss basis.

And the application of scientific technology for choosing athletes has long been practiced by countries, which through its utilization, have attained world class status in the Olympics and international competition.

With this in mind, the Philippine Sports Commission launches the Philippine Sports Talent Identification Project (PSTIP), a concept to discover and develop local talents based on the young Filipinos' anthropometric or human body measurements, motorability, psychological profile and genetic lineage.

PSTIP will be implemented by the PSC with the assistance of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports with the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine, through Dr. Jose Raul C. Canlas, handling the technical aspects.

Commissioner Tisha Abundo is the project director of this endeavor to be undertaken for the first time in the history of Philippine sports.

"PSC chairman Carlos Tuason saw the logic in determining the maximum performance of every Filipino in various sporting events. That and the plan to continue monitoring the progress, both mentally and physically, of a prospective national athlete will provide us a realistic view of the said athlete's chances in local and international campaigns," said Abundo.

Abundo noted that some progressive countries have scored breakthrough in various international meets by using the talent identification concept to determine which sports their athletes can really excel.

A good example of this phenomenal improvement in sports performance achieved through sports talent identification is Australia. Recently, Malaysia has instituted a sports talent identification system utilizing the school system, and its organizers anticipate benefits from the undertaking within a period of five years.